Monday, July 2, 2018

Potential

Inserting red flag here: This post is from my perspective. All opinion(s) written below are my own. 


Potential. What is potential? How do I measure the amount of potential I have? Potential is limitless, it can not be pinpointed by an individual. Potential is dynamic because there are vast amounts of things that you can do and learn in your life. There is so much capacity for a human to become and develop into something amazing in the future. This can include career-growth or just growth as an individual. Saying this, you can not let other individuals undermine or discourage you from discovering the potential you have. I understand the plight individuals go through when it comes to not obtaining an opportunity you so desperately want due to technicalities. When I say technicalities, I mean something happens that you cannot control, like competition, and it takes away your opportunity. Due to this, it makes you doubt your own potential and eventually lowers your self-confidence. 

I, myself, have been given the short end of the stick in many occasions. The only difference is the perspective I look at life and how I deal with those technicalities. This was the case when I was finding a mandatory coop placement for my post-secondary program. My program requires that I finish two coop terms to graduate. As I was searching, I obtained a lot of rejections and no responses and this did impact me in a negative way. When I read those rejection letters, I felt like a bit of me was dying on the inside because it made me feel like I did not have enough potential for these placements. It came to the point where I started to give up and find alternative ways to become productive in my summer semester which included doing courses from a future semester or finding a job to earn money. As I did this, I would go back to my résumé and cover letter and I would think about why I did not do more to improve my professional background and it took a huge toll on my self-confidence. The main thing that was hitting me about not finding the coop placement was the unfortunate news that my graduation is going to be delayed until I find two coop placements and that is if I even find a coop placement. 

You might be thinking that I somehow found a placement and/or found the light at the end of the tunnel when I least expected it. Yes, I did find a placement for my coop, and I am so proud for obtaining that placement but I did not find it by giving up like I did previously. There was no light at the end of the tunnel, I dug myself through that tunnel in pure darkness and reached the surface myself. I talked to many other students in my program, and I realized that I was not the only one in this conflict. I ended up having an epiphany that my potential was being judged by an employer at a company like every other student. I let an individual or hiring team, of a company lower my self-confidence and doubt my potential. They do not know me and they did not give me the opportunity to show what I am worth by giving me an interview. They took one look at a piece of paper that does not do my qualifications any justice and threw it in the trash with the other rejected applicants. The employers are not thinking about me or any other individual looking for a job, they are thinking about the benefits of their own company. They are not wrong to do so, but that does not mean I am not good enough. One mans trash is another mans treasure and if this company does not see the potential I have to offer than another one will. 

Basically, after I had this moment to think and realize that I am good enough, I started to apply to more jobs. I edited my resume and made improvements, I improved my cover letter, and I started to obtain more skills that revolve around my program on YouTube. Yes, I did keep my alternatives open with finding a retail job and/or doing courses from a further semester, however, I ultimately found a coop placement! This whole experience made me self-reflect about how my potential would have been unfulfilled if I gave up. So my advice to you is to continue working hard until the very end and even then, don't give up because I know every one of you has the potential to be the best.

"Continuous effort — not strength or intelligence — is the key to unlocking our potential." - Winston Churchill 


6 comments:

  1. I think you should post this in LinkedIn too.

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  2. It is indeed true that many a time we let others be a judge of our potential, when in fact, they scarcely know anything about us. Nice post and very much relevant.

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  3. Excellent post! Potential is often associated with many pressures and opportunities. Thank you for sharing!

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